Volunteers, whether acting individually or connected with
voluntary organizations, are societal beacons who identify
and directly respond to community issues and needs.
Volunteers build our communities by freely donating time,
energy and sometimes material goods to the betterment of a
person, group or cause.

From Native charitable tradition, which
consisted of a community's best hunters donating shares from
a hunt to their less fortunate members, to pioneer families
helping each other raise a barn—spirit of the west
volunteerism existed long before the creation of Alberta's
provincial borders and formal government.

Since Alberta's inception in 1905, our voluntary sector
has continued to profoundly contribute to building our
communities. Regardless of specific goals, the common
denominator that all voluntary efforts share is the desire
to make our environment and our society safe, intrinsically
rewarding, and humane.

To acknowledge and celebrate Alberta's volunteers,
the Heritage Community Foundation is proud to present a totally
unique website and edukit series called Volunteerism in
Alberta: 100 years of Celebrating Community.

This exciting interactive website, with support from Wild
Rose Foundation, will explore the subject of volunteering in
the following sections:

History and Evolution:
The history of volunteers and volunteer organizations in
Alberta will be recalled here, from the time before
Alberta’s creation as a province, to the present day.

Organizations:
Learn here about the many volunteer organizations that have
contributed to communities across Alberta.

People: Over the
years, many remarkable individuals from across Alberta have
stepped forward to help build and enhance their communities.
Read their
stories in this section of the website.

Issues and Challenges:
Volunteerism brings with it a unique set of issues and
challenges. Explore some of the considerations volunteers
and volunteer organizations must face as they pursue their
goals.

Directory:
Turn here to see the profiles of the volunteer organizations
currently serving communities across Alberta.

Volunteerism in Alberta: 100 years of Celebrating
Community, a dynamic assemblage of text, images, and
audio, will connect people to Alberta's volunteer heritage,
identify the magnitude of volunteerism and its contribution
to our province, acknowledge and celebrate past and present
volunteers, create a public awareness and link to
voluntary/non-profit organizations, and act as an
educational resource for students and teachers. The Heritage
Community Foundation is proud and delighted to be the
authoritative content resource developer of such an
important legacy gift to all Albertans.